The invention relates to a self-service terminal (SST), and particularly to an SST for replenishing and/or reconciling currency cassettes.
Currency cassettes are used as the currency source in Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). The resources required to replenish (refill with currency) and reconcile (check that the number of bank notes dispensed equals the number of bank notes which were originally in the cassette) these cassettes are a major cost to the owners of ATMs. Conventionally, currency cassettes are replenished at central points which serve an ATM network (which may include up to several hundred ATMs).
A currency cassette requires reconciling and replenishing when its supply of currency falls below a predetermined value. When this occurs, the partially filled (below the predetermined value) cassette is removed from an ATM and replaced with a full cassette; the partially filled cassette is then transported by a secure carrier to the central point for replenishing.
High costs are incurred because of the need for high security in transporting currency both to and from an ATM. A financial center may have a large amount of currency which has to be transported to the central point for replenishing an ATM, but that financial center may house the ATM which is to be replenished. Thus, in some cases, a cassette from an ATM and currency from a financial center in which the ATM is located are both transported under high security to a remote center which loads the transported currency into the transported cassette to provide a replenished cassette, and the replenished cassette is then transported back to the financial center under high security.
It is an object of the invention to obviate or mitigate one or more of the above disadvantages.
According to the invention a self-service terminal comprises: a user interface; a media receiver for receiving valuable media items; a validator for checking the valuable media items received by the media receiver; characterized in that the terminal further comprises a cassette receiver for holding a cassette to be replenished; and a loading mechanism for replenishing the cassette with the validated valuable media items.
It will be appreciated that a cassette is replenished when it is filled with authentic media items, and is ready for loading into an SST without requiring any intermediate processing steps such as sorting the media items stored in the cassette.
By virtue of the invention a terminal is provided which may have similar dimensions to a conventional ATM, or which may be desktop in size. The terminal facilitates replenishing of a currency cassette by a user so that financial centers such as retail outlets and banks may use this type of terminal to replenish cassettes used in local ATMs and thereby minimize the transportation of currency.
The terminal may have a plurality of cassette receivers so that different types of media items can be stored. For example, one cassette may store one denomination of currency, and a second cassette may store a different denomination of currency.
Preferably, the validator checks the valuable media items by implementing one or more predetermined acceptance criterion.
Preferably, the validator includes media identification apparatus which may include measuring apparatus for measuring the dimensions of each media item to discriminate between different types of media items (for example different denominations of currency) and/or to verify that the media item is authentic (for example by comparing the measured dimensions of the media item with pre-stored dimensions for that media item).
Preferably, the validator includes counterfeit detection apparatus. Various types of counterfeit detection apparatus may be used depending on the type of media item to be dispensed and the security features used in that media item.
Preferably, the terminal further comprises a condition sorter for checking characteristics of each media item received. If a received media item does not fulfill a predetermined condition acceptance criterion then the media item may be rejected. The characteristics that may be checked include the porosity of the media item, and whether the media item is free from tears, cuts, folds, creases, or other such defects.
The terminal may further comprise a cassette reader mechanism for use with cassettes having an identifier which records, for example, the type of media item stored, the number of media items stored in a full cassette, and the number of media items stored in the cassette when it is removed from a terminal (if it is removed when it is partially full). The terminal may have a programmer for writing information to a cassette identifier. The terminal may be in communication with a network of SSTs, thereby enabling the terminal to communicate with another SST to determine the type of media items and the number of media items to be stored in the cassette.
Preferably, the cassette receiver is arranged to hold a cassette in an inclined position to facilitate loading of valuable media items into the cassette.
Preferably, the cassette receiver is operable to detect the presence of a cassette which has been loaded into it and to bring the loaded cassette to an inclined position to facilitate loading of media items into the cassette. The cassette receiver may also automatically remove the lid of the cassette.
Preferably, the loading mechanism has a media conveyor for delivering media items to a cassette, and a conveyor deflector configured so that when a media item is present the media item co-operates with the conveyor deflector to displace at least part of the conveyor from a first (non-deflected) position to a second (deflected) position in which stacking of the media item in the cassette is facilitated by allowing the media item to be stacked to pass between the top of the media items stack and the raised part of the conveyor.
Preferably, the media conveyor has a pivoting linkage arrangement whereby a pivoting portion of the linkage may move in an arcuate path between the top and the bottom of the cassette; whereas, a parallel portion of the linkage maintains an orientation parallel to the orientation in which a media item is to be stacked.
The parallel portion of the linkage is located in the cassette and is aligned so that, in use, the orientation is parallel to and resting on the stack of media items in the cassette.
Preferably, the media conveyor has an arrangement of stretchable, endless conveyor belts, at least one (upper) belt extending from the pivoting portion of the linkage to the parallel portion of the linkage and being in contact with a surface onto which a media item is to be stacked. The surface onto which a media item is to be stacked will initially be a pusher plate in the cassette, but when one item of media is stacked on the pusher plate the surface will be the last media item stacked.
Preferably, the media conveyor is counterbalanced to provide only a small net downward force on the last media item stacked.
Preferably, the media deflector comprises a low-friction plate having at least one slot in a surface inclined with respect to the at least one upper conveyor belt, the plate being located below the at least one upper conveyor belt such that the at least one upper conveyor belt passes through the at least one slot.
The upper conveyor belt rests on the media stack and transports media items beneath it, therefore the loading mechanism automatically rises as a media item is stacked. As the upper conveyor is driven it acts to urge the media items stack against a back wall of the cassette because the belt rests on the media items stack.
Preferably, the terminal further comprises a cassette tray for receiving a cassette to be emptied, and an emptying mechanism for removing media items from a cassette inserted into the cassette tray. The emptying mechanism may be a conventional pick mechanism.
Preferably, the terminal is operable to count the number of media items removed from a cassette to be emptied whereby the contents of the cassette to be emptied can be reconciled.
Also according to the invention a method of replenishing a cassette with valuable media items in an SST is characterized by the steps of: retaining the cassette in a position for receiving media items; receiving media items to be used in replenishing the cassette; validating the received media items; and loading the validated media items into the cassette to replenish the cassette.
The step of validating the received media items includes checking characteristics of the received media items, so that the media items are rejected if they do not fulfill one or more predetermined acceptance criterion.
Further according to the invention a self-service terminal system comprises: a user interface; a media receiver for receiving valuable media items; and a validator for checking the valuable media items received by the media receiver; characterized in that the terminal retains a cassette in a position for being replenished with valuable media items; and replenishes the cassette with validated valuable media items using a loading mechanism which moves between a top and bottom of the cassette.